Cash register and indicator



(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 1 E. T. TAYLOR.

CASH REGISTER AND INDICATOR. No. 494,534. I Patented Mar. 28.1 893.

(No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. E. T. TAYLOR.

CASH REGISTER AND INDICATOR. No. 494,534.- Patented Mar. 28, 1893.

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E. T, TAYLOR. CASH REGISTER AND INDICATOR.

No. 494,534. Patented M41. 28, 1893.

' U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

EDWARD T. TAYLOR, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

CASH REGISTER AND INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 494,534, dated March28, 1893.

Application filed December 1,1892. Serial No 45 17 7 (N model-l To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD T. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oakland, Alameda county, State of California, have inventedan Improvement in Cash-Registers; and I hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to registers by which the amount of cash receivedis indicated, and also by which consecutive amounts are added up so thatthe total may be observed at any time.

It consists in certain details of construction which will be more fullyexplained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1is a side sectional elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a front view.Fig. 3 is a plan with horizontal section of that part of the casecontaining the indicating plates and figures. Fig. 4 is a view showing amodification of the indicating mechanism. Fig. 5 is a view of the stopplate.

A is a casing within which the mechanism is contained.

B is a cash drawer situated below and in front of the casing A, andhaving a sliding spring or weight actuatedcover O which is automaticallyopened whenever one of the levers is depressed, to indicate an amount ofcash received, and which may be again closed and automatically lookedafter the lever has I been released.

D is a rectangular extension of the upper and back part of the casinghaving openings upon opposite sides through which the figures indicatingthe amount of the purchase are exposed.

In this apparatus I employ two cylinders E and F. One of these cylindershas marked spirally around its periphery figures indicating cents withany desired interval between them. In the present case I have shownintervals of five, so that five, ten, fifteen cents, &c., are indicatedup to any desired amount. The other cylinder is in like manner dividedto indicate dollars, with intervals between. These cylinders are mountedto rotate upon a shaft or shafts G, and they are caused to rotate uponthese shafts by means of lever arms H which are fulcrumed, as shown atI,

so that either of the arms may be depressed independently of the other,and they are returned to their normal position, as soon as released, bymeans of weights or springs as shown at J. These arms act upon the drumsE or F, as the case may be by means of paWls or ratchet teeth. Themovement of the different arms H is regulated so that the dollar drum,for instance, may be moved forward to indicate one dollar by pressingupon the lever which acts upon the plate having the most limitedmovement, and which will advance the drum only one point, while a leverto indicate fifteen or twenty dollars would haye a considerably greateramount of movement.

It will be manifest that the intermediate mechanism may be made invarious Ways. In the present case I have shown it as consisting of agear-wheel K fixed so as to rotate the drum F by the action of a secondgearwheel L which is moved by a pawl M pivoted to a lever N which isfulcrumed upon the shaft of the gear L so as to move about the samecenter. The lever N is connected by a rod 0 with a plate P which isfulcrumed to the standard as shown at Q. This plate has slot-s made init as shown at R, corresponding with each of the levers H, and one ofthese levers moves up and down in one of the slots. These slots are allmade of different depths, the one corresponding with the lever which isto operate the drum to indicate one dollar being so deep that the leverdoes not strike the bottom of the slot until it has nearly reached thelowest point to which it can be pressed. It, therefore, moves the plateand through it the gears and drum, only sufiiciently to indicate onedollar on the periphery. For any amount above one dollar the slot R ofthe corresponding lever H is made of such depth that the lever willstrike it so as to advance the drum two, three, or more points,corresponding to the number of dollars to be indicated, twenty dollarsbeing the highest amount recorded by one movement of the lever ll. \Viththe depression of each of the levers H, the cover C of the drawer B isopened by means of a bar S which extends across the apparatus beneaththe plate P, so that when the latter is depressed it also depresses thebar S. This forces down the stop ICO levers T which are fulcru med inthe space beneath the machine and behind the drawer B until the rearedge of the cover 0 is released, when it will be moved backward by thespring or weight attachment which actuates it and the drawer will beopened for the deposit of the amount received. As soon as the lever H isreleased, the plate P is drawn up by a spring or weight, as shown, andthe lever T is correspondingly actuated by a spring or weight as shownat U. The drawer cover is then pulled forward by the operator until itis in front of the stop bar T which immediately moves up behind it, andthis looks it.

In order to indicate the amount of each purchase I employ a series ofplates V. One edge of each plate is hinged, as shown at W, just beneathone of the openings in the extension D at the back of the case, and whenthe plates are moved about the hinges so as to stand in a verticalposition, the figures will be exposed in the openings. IV hen the platesare released they drop into an approximately horizontal position withinthe case D and are not visible. In order to operate these plates I haveshown vertically moving rods X, the lower ends of which are engaged bythe rear ends of the levers I-I, so that when the front ends of thelevers are pressed down, the rear ends are forced up and move thevertical rods X with them. Upon the upper ends of these rods X are fixedthe arcs or segments Y, and these segments engage the movable edges ofthe plates V so as to force them upward, turning in the arc of a circleabout their hinges W. These plates are shown in duplicate, one facingtoward the machine and the operator, and the other toward the back ofthe apparatus, so that the operator and the customer can inspect thefigures equally well if the apparatus be placed with the back toward thecustomer. When the lever which operates either of the plates is releasedand returns to its normal position, the plates V carrying the figures,will remain exposed until released by the raising of another set ofindicating plates, which acts to release the first set and allow them tofall by gravitation into their normal position in which they are notvisible. This takes place as follows: 2 is an inclined bar, the ends ofthe lower edge of which are fulcrumed so that the upper edge restsagainst the vertical rods X. Each of these rods has a lug 3 fixed to itwhich is normally below the contacting'edge of the bar 2. Whenone ofthese rods X is raised by pressing upon the corresponding hand lever,its lug 3 passes above the edge of the plate 2, and is thus preventedfrom falling when the hand lever is released. When another rod X israised, its lug 3 forces the edge of the bar 2 back, and releases therod which is held up by the plate, and it falls and allows theindicators controlled by it to resume their normal position, and thelast one raised is held up by the bar 2 in the same manner.

In the present case I have shown two series of openings and plates, onecorrespond ing with the dollar drum and its plates, being operated inunison with the movements of that drum, and the other corresponding withand actuated by the drum which indicates cents. These drums are ofsufficient length in the direction of the line of the axis to indicateall the transactions of one or more days, and the lines of figures uponthem are spirally arranged. Each of the drums has an indicator throughwhich to observe the lines of figures on the drum, and these indicatorsare moved along parallel with the axis to correspond with the number ofrevolutions of the drum. This movement may be accomplished either bymeans of ribs or flanges, as shown at a on the drum F, or by means of anindependent screw-shaft b actuated by a gear 0 which is engaged by acorresponding toothed gear movable with the drum as shown in the drum E.In the first case, the projecting flanges upon each side of the row offigures runs spirally around the drum so that the register indicator clis advanced the distance between one pair of these flanges at eachrevolution of the drum, and at the end of the time when the drum is tobe inspected it is only necessary to look at the register indicator, andthe amount of money received for that time will be shown at once,because each movement of one of the levers H advancing the drum a spaceequal to the amount which has been received will add it to the amountpreviously indicated upon the drum. When the screw-shaft b is employedand actuated from the periphery of the drum, or from any proportionategear, it is only necessary to make the threads of the screw of suchfineness that when the drum has performed one revolution the screw willhave advanced the indicator d, which it carries, a distance equal to thespace between two of the lines of figures which encircle the drums.

In order to prevent more than one lever H being depressed at one time, atransversely sliding plate P is fitted to move on guide pins P and isheld normally to one side by a spring m. The upper edge of this plate isslotted with inclined slots n. When all the levers H are up the slots nare in line heneath the levers, but when either lever is pressed down,it enters the corresponding slot n, and by reason of the inclination ofthe slot the plate will be moved to one side, as shown, so that none ofthe other levers will enter their slots while this lever is down. Whenit is released the spring m will act to return the plate to itsnormalposition.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a cash register, one or more drums having spirally arranged rowsof figures upon the periphery, pawl and ratchet mechanisms by which thedrums are advanced, hinged plates connected with the pawl carryinglevers, hand levers fulcrumed so that the depression of either of thelevers will move the plate and actuate the drum, slots of differentdepths made in the plates in the line of movement of the levers wherebythe distance to which the drum is advanced by either lever isdetermined, a cash drawer having a sliding cover, a stop bar by whichsaid cover i slocked in place when closed, a vertically movable bar Swhich is engaged by the pawl actuating plate P when it is depressed,whereby the cover of the drawer is released and automatically opened,substantially as herein described.

2. In a cash register, one or more drums having spirally arranged rowsof figures upon the periphery, a pawl and ratchet mechanism by which thedrum is rotated, a hinged plate connected with the pawl and ratchetmechanism, hand levers fulcrumed and movable to engage the pawl actuatedplate, slots in the plate corresponding with each of the levers, saidslots having different depths whereby the movements of the leversadvance the drum a distance equal to the amount to be indicated by thelever moved, a drawer having a horizontally sliding spring actuatedcover, a weight actuated locking bar which engages the rear edge of thedrawer cover and retains and looks it when the drawer is closed, saidbar being moved to release the drawer cover whenever the hand levers aremoved to indicate a purchase, substantially as herein described.

3. In a cash register, one or more drums havin g spirally arranged rowsof figures upon the periphery, pawl and ratchet mechanism whereby thedrums are rotated, hand levers and intermediate slotted plates connectedwith the pawl mechanism and moving it and the drums whenever the handlever is depressed,

indicators with screw-threads by which they are advanced over the spiralrows of figures upon the drums as the latter are rotated, whereby thetotal amount received during the day is indicated by inspection of thedrums, substantially as herein described.

at. In a cash register, one or more drums having spirally arranged rowsof figures upon the periphery and traveling indicators with a mechanismwhereby they are advanced over the rows of figures as the drum rotates,pawl and ratchet mechanism and plates connected therewith, by thedepression of which the drum is rotated, hand levers indicating thedifferent amounts received hinged and engaging the pawl actuating platesso that the depression of one of the levers will advance the drumproportionately to the amount to be indicated, a case having a series ofopenings upon opposite sides, plates having their lower outer edgeshinged adjacent to the bottom of said openings, each plate havingfigures marked upon it corresponding with the amount to be indicated,vertical rods, the lower ends of which are engaged by the rear ends ofthe hand levers so that the rods are raised when the front end of thehand levers are depressed arcs fixed to the upper ends of the verticallymovable rods and engaging the inner ends of the indicating plateswhereby the latter are rotated about their hinges and presented in thecorresponding openings of the indicator case whenever the indicator rodsare raised, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

EDWARD T. TAYLOR.

\Vitnesses:

S. H. NOURSE, J. A. BAYLESS.

